Xi is only talking to Blinken because he knows it’s important to Biden’s reelection.
The announced “Friends without Limits” was a geopolitical test which Biden and Blinken failed miserably. China was gauging the reaction - knowing how Trump would have immediately said “want to bet?” as he did with China and Iranian oil. With only silence in response from Biden, Russia went forward knowing it could rely on China backstopping the entire Russian economy.
